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After 20 years, the Gold Logie winner last night waved goodbye to her alter ego Sally Fletcher, filming her final scene at Seven's Epping studios, watched by her family, friends and colleagues. In the two decades of growing up in the seaside town, Ritchie has been used to seeing many faces arrive and depart the bay.
"But it's never been my name," an emotional Ritchie said yesterday as she finished her final scene after growing up on the silver screen since the programs inception in 1988. "On the one hand you feel this incredible sadness, on the other, it feels like the beginning of the next part of my life. And yet I can't deny that saying goodbye to Sally Fletcher is the hardest thing I have ever done."
While we still have a few months left of the delightful Mrs. Fletcher-Saunders on our screen, Kate says the storylines give her a fitting farewell. It remains to be seen what the impact of the 2007 cliffhanger in Summer Bay will have on these final months, but she is staying tight-lipped. "It all becomes very clear as the story continues," she said. "We will revisit a lot of the history, in particular mine."
Home And Away returns in January.
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Sharni Vinson, otherwise known as Cassie, is set to leave Home and Away screens mid next year in favour of making the trip to Hollywood where she already has "great contacts" according to Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph reports she has quit the show to make a move to the US to be with her boyfriend -CSI:NY star A.J. Buckley - who she met during a trip to LA earlier this year.
Seven is yet to make an official comment but it is understood Sharni will still be seen on screens until mid-2008. Her departure will follow the farewells of popular colleagues Rhys Wakefiled, Tim Campbell and Kate Ritchie who have also decided not to renew their contracts.
Network Script Execuitive Bevan Lee spoke earlier this year to BTTB about the high number of long-term actors choosing to leave the show at the same time. You can read his statement here
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This article contains spoilers, please do not read if you do not wish to read spoilers.
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Bevan Lee, Seven Network Script Executive and current Script Producer of Home and Away, has been reading the BTTB Forum and wished to explain a little about the number of upcoming departures (of which more are to be announced), which have had forum members become rather worried about the future of their favourite show:
No doubt the fans are disturbed by the number of actors choosing to not re-sign their contracts. This has always been a factor with the show, and even more so these days with the lure of Hollywood, although it is unusual to have this number choose to move on at the same time. Trust me, none of these departures are write outs. In each case the actor chose to leave. As I'm a glass half full sort of guy, I prefer to embrace this as a storyteller to allow me to tell exciting stories that give the actors interesting departures and lead those characters who remain in to exciting new drama. Dan's departure will do great honor to both the character and Tim's excellent work in bringing him to life. As I created the character of Dan Baker during my last stint as Script Producer, I am glad to be around to see Dan get the send-off he deserves. This story leads Leah in to moving and interesting new story areas. Those who have been screaming for Leah to get her own story, trust me she gets it now that Dan is leaving. And NO, they will NOT break up. To do that to them would betray you the viewers and the love you have for them as a couple. Rhys's character of Lucas follows the time honored tradition in "Home and Away" of sending kids off to Uni when they get to a certain age. His departure puts Tony in to the interesting position of being virtually a single man again, and this propels him in to a great new romantic triangle. For those fans who love him, Lucas's leaving makes HotDad hotter than ever. There are also some really compelling new characters coming in to the show and the return of one old villain will change the lives of many favorites forever. The fans can trust my promise that the Bay may be losing some popular residents, but the show will be more exciting than ever.
Many thanks to Bevan!
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This topic contains major spoilers, please do not click if you do not wish to read.
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Less than an hour after the shock announcement of Kate's departure from the show, Script Producer Bevan Lee has kindly given us a statement on behalf of Channel Seven, exclusive to BTTB:
After twenty years playing one of the iconic characters of Australian television drama, Kate has decided to move on to new challenges. It is of course a sad day for both the makers and the fans of the show, but her departure will be handled with the sensitivity and respect it deserves. One of the reasons I came back to the show, that I could not talk about until now that the official statement of Kate's departure has been made, was to make sure that the story of Sally's departure is one befitting Kate's twenty years on the show and one that really delivers for the fans. It is a ten week arc story that starts with the last scene to air in Australia in 2007 and ends ten weeks in to the 2008 season. Kate will leave the show on an uplifting and positive note and the door will be kept open for her return should she ever choose to do so. There will be many dramatic and tension-filled twists and turns, and many tears of both joy and sorrow, along the way to her departure. Kate is a truly wonderful young woman and everyone at Seven wishes her well in both her personal life and her new career goals.
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This article contains major spoilers. Please do not click if you are not willing to read spoilers.
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Kate Ritchie has this morning announced her departure from Home and Away after an outstanding 20 years of playing Sally Fletcher.
Speaking on Seven's show 'Sunrise', she stated that 'After 20 years of Home and Away, it's time for a change.' She will be filming her last scenes on the show in December, which will air in early 2008.
Kate first appeared on Oz screens as Sally Keating on Sunday 17th January 1988. Over the space of two decades, millions of people worldwide have watched her grow up from the little girl with an imaginary friend, to a beautiful young woman who has now taken over Pippa's mantle as being a proud mother, and foster mother.
Kate's flawless performance finally gained her the recognition she deserved in 2006, when she was awarded a Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress. This was followed a year later by a Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.
Kate is one of only two of the show's remaining original cast members, along with Ray Meagher (Alf). Together they share the Guinness Record for Longest Continuous Roles in an Australian Drama series.
January 2008 marks the 20th Anniversary of the show that has made Kate a household name, and this years Season Finale will centre heavily around her.
BTTB will be very sorry to see Sally go, however we wish Kate all the best for the future.
Stay tuned to BTTB in coming weeks for more information.
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Holly Brisley returning to Home and Away
SHE'S back home after being away, now Holly Brisley is returning to the Channel 7 show which kicked off her soapie career.
The blonde bombshell - who spent three months travelling the world this year - is heading back to Summer Bay next month.
"My character only moved to the city so she can flit in and flit out," she told Confidential.
Despite being offered a job in a pantomine in the UK this Christmas, the one-time Dancing With the Stars contestant is keen to stay in Sydney.
"I think Australia is my home," she said. "When you get back it's like 'wow'."
Brisley plans to devote more time to charity work. She will jump into bed with gal pals Toni Pearen and Amy Erbacher for the Cancer Council's Girl's Night In fundraiser in Pitt St mall at 11.30am today.
Source
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Following recent reports about Chris Sadrinna (Brad) being axed from the show, both newspapers and forum members have been speculating about whether this will also bring about the departure of Kate Ritchie.
In another BTTB exclusive Bevan Lee has contacted us to say that Chris' departure will have no relevance to whether Kate continues on the show or not. Chris will leave the show three months before the end of Kate's current contract, so only time will tell whether Kate will choose to continue past this point.
However Bevan has hinted that Sally may indeed be the character that will be involved in the Season Cliffhanger, details of which were exclusively revealed to us last week:
"As is always the case with the show, characters come and go so that the central core group can have fresh stories. Brad was always viewed on the landscape of Summer Bay as a long term guest rather than as a character stretching in to an indeterminate future.
As great as Chris and his character have been for the canvas of the show, Brad's departure is part of putting Sally in to a position that is more suitable for the Christmas cliffhanger revelation that propels her and other characters in to one of the major story arcs of 2008.
The way Brad leaves the show is very positive and satisfying and does not close the door on this character's return in the future to Summer Bay."
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Chris Sadrinna who plays Brad, will be written out of the show in the next twelve months according to Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
"It wasn't his choice to go, the producers made the decision for him. He didn't want to go, he was just told 'that's it','' one spy allegedly told the paper yesterday.
Confidential sources say Sadrinna was told last week that his role on the show would end within months - a decision that has apparently staggered the 32-year-old.
Given his character is tied closely to Kate Ritchie's character, Sally, we may be set for another media frenzy over her future, similar to what was seen after last year's cliffhanger ending which had many fans convinced they had seen the last of Sally.
Insiders claim Brad's shock departure opens the door for his Gold Logie-winning co-star to be written out too when her contract expires in November.
Meanwhile, with her co-hosting on It Takes Two finishing up this week, Kate is heading over to the UK this month with co-stars Mark Furze (Ric) and Jodi Gordon (Martha) to do some promotional work and film interviews with Channel Five.
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It's been a rumour for what seems like years now but this week The Herald Sun reported that Chris Hemsworth is finally filming his last scenes as Kim Hyde.
Hot on the heels of a number of cast departures it seems Chris too is finally packing his bags and heading to LA for meetings with agents and casting directors.
He will appear on screen as Kim up until June and ideas of just how he'll depart are already being discussed on our forum.
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It's been rumoured for a long while, and her removal from the credits a few weeks ago added fuel to the fire, but now it seems like the rumours are true. Beth Hunter, who arrived in the bay back in 2004, is set to leave the show after after being involved in a tragic accident.
She will leave Australian screens for good in a few weeks time.
Her departure from the show is being discussed over on our forum.
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David Koch, co-host of Australia's Sunrise breakfast programme, is to star in Home and Away. The Daily Telegraph reports that Koch, affectionatly known as "Kochie" to viewers, has revealed he'll be making his acting debut on the show next month.
Koch has made no secret to viewers that he and his family are huge fans of the show, often talking about it on his breakfast program.
It's currently unknown how he'll be appearing, and it remains to be seen whether he will be appearing in a cameo role or as a guest character.
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After sailing off into the sunset with Brodie (Susie Rugg), Alex Poulos is making a shock return to Summer Bay.
Danny Raco is reprising the role of the popular young Greek. His return will coincide with Ada Nicodemou's return after her honeymoon, with their characters returning from Greece together. No word as to how long he is in the bay for, but get set to see another Josh West- style character arc - Alex is out to cause trouble.
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Hot on the heels of Holly Brisley's departure, Nicolas Bishop has revealed he has quit the show to pursue opportunities in the UK. Details are unknown about when he will leave, but he has plans to go to the UK in June, according to his interview in TV Week.
More details when possible
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After almost two years as the manipulative Amanda Vale, Holly Brisley will be leaving the show. She will be having a break in Sydney for a month before jetting off to Europe with her husband, mareketing executive Paul Ford.
Brisley says of her time on H&A: "There is a sadness about leaving such a nice group of people, but I guess it is time to move on to the next stage." It remains to be seen how she be written out of the weeknightly soap, although Brisley hints that there is a possiblity for a return.
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Lincoln Lewis, son of Australian rugby league star Wally Lewis, has landed himself a guest role on Home and Away. Following in his father's footsteps, he will be playing a football star, in a role which could see potentially him landing a full time part in the show.
The actor has already had experience appearing alongside Home and Away stars. In 2006, he starred in Voodoo Lagoon, featuring Beau Brady (Noah Lawson), and Aquamarine/H20 featuring Tammin Sursok (Dani Sutherland).
He will make his debut on Australian screens in June.
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